2024 has come and gone, and I only wrote three blog posts. I wish I had written more last year because it was a year full of ups and downs. But it’s not yet the end, because I’m here now to share my losses and wins last year.

2024 Lessons

Job hunting is a full-time job.

Oh my god. It took me three months to find a full-time job! It’s not like I didn’t have any source of income, but I wanted a fixed income. I sent out two to three applications weekly and it was exhausting. I was finally hired in September!

This may be a boomer or millennial mindset but look for a job while you’re still employed.

Money is important but it’s not always about it.

Two job opportunities were available to me, but I chose the one that paid higher by Php 5,000. Was it a good choice? Financially, yes. But emotionally? No. The one I chose was a disorganized company. It’s too big that they can’t manage their resources.

I started on September 23rd, and didn’t get any work done until November 11th. Yes, I got paid, but there was no job fulfillment – because I didn’t do anything!

These days it’s hard to find a job that pays well and gives you job satisfaction, but it’s not impossible. We just have to try harder, that’s why this year I’m going back to my passion – teaching English.

Unpopular opinion: Traveling is tiring, and I don’t understand why many people like it.

I’m not fond of traveling. Are you like me?

If it’s a trip to the beach I’m down for it, but if it’s in a different country where I have to plan and book plane tickets, I’m out…

Well maybe, unless someone plans my itinerary and book everything for me!

I’ve been to three countries, and I didn’t mind going there. I didn’t plan anything, my travel mates planned everything, and I was there to go with the flow.

Last year, my family planned a Hong Kong trip. My eldest sister and her husband paid for the accommodation, yey! And the three of us (D and Little O) paid for everything else.

Long story short, it’s tiring. Even recalling what happened is making me tired already. So, my Hong Kong trip is for another blog post.

Setting boundaries feels great!

I’ve practiced setting boundaries! Mid-last year, someone snapped on me out of nowhere. She said I butted in on their conversation, but I thought I was part of it. Here’s what happened:

Person A was trying to convince Person B to come with her, so she could buy some cigarettes. Person B didn’t want to for two reasons: 1) he was feeling lazy and 2) smoking is bad for Person A’s health. During their conversation, the topic of Person C’s smoking was opened up. Since Person C is someone close to the three of us, I eventually became part of their conversation. Then the forcing and convincing continued, so I told Person A “Why don’t you just buy on your own?” She stormed off and said, “You really are a villain!” In Filipino, kontrabida ka talaga!”

Person B and I laughed it off. Later on, Person B showed me Person A’s Facebook note “Don’t butt in if you’re not part of the conversation”. So the question is, do you think I butted in or did I become part of the conversation?

The story continues…

The next day, I uploaded this picture in my Facebook stories because it reminded me of someone – and it wasn’t Person A. She replied with a laugh, and knowing how she felt about me at that time, I knew that laugh meant sarcasm.

A week later, she greeted me for my birthday, but I didn’t reply. I have pride, you know. I didn’t speak to her for three months, but since she was part of the Hong Kong trip, I eventually talked to her but only if needed. I was very casual with her. One question, one answer. I wasn’t chummy with her.

And then I understood what I’d done. I set boundaries. I wasn’t angry or hurt anymore, I just set my boundary, and it was a a clear one.

We have different friends for different stages of our lives.

I thought our friendship would never end, but I was wrong. We’ve grown apart, and I’m no longer the one she needs. She’s not the one I need too, right now. I still miss her sometimes, but in time we’ll meet again. I realized that the friends we have are the friends we need for that stage of our lives.

Practice makes progress.

I don’t dance, and I don’t mind. But I wanted to see how my dancing skills would improve if I dance consistently. I danced for maybe 20 days straight even if we were on a staycation, and I saw improvements. Even the people around me saw how much I’ve improved… But then I stopped and did other workouts. This year though, I want to dance once a week.

Closing Realization

After writing and copying my draft to WordPress, I realized my writing had become terrible. I don’t consider myself a good writer, but I’ve definitely become a bad one.